The University of Southern Maine’s Cutler Institute is seeking to expand its long-standing child welfare team with new staff who bring demonstrated experience in policy and practice, design and implementation, and workforce development. This team will support and strengthen the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Child and Family Services’ (OCFS) Child Welfare program and services through a project that begins immediately.

We live our USM Service Promise Student Focused Every Day and we are looking for a team member who understands that promise and supports our values: Respect & Care, Integrity, Equity and Responsiveness.

We will be seeking outstanding candidates to fill the following full-time, grant funded positions:

Policy Associate II: Child Welfare Policy
Policy Associate II: Child Welfare Policy will lead a Policy Work Group in collaboration with OCFS and child welfare stakeholders to conduct expedited policy review and revision, develop a long-term policy making/approval process, and create a plan for a procedure manual.

Policy Associate II: Child Welfare Workforce Development
Policy Associate II: Child Welfare Workforce Development will lead Training Assessment and Design Team with OCFS and child welfare stakeholders to assess and begin design of a robust training system, including designing a new Caseworker Pre-Service Training, Resource Family Pre-Service Training, and Field Instruction Unit.

The USM Cutler Institute Child Welfare Experience

From 1989-2012 USM directed and staffed The Child Welfare Training Institute (CWTI), offering the latest, advanced training and education in a variety of human services topics for child welfare professionals and resource families. CWTI educators came with experience in their field, offering training topics designed for Maine’s child welfare system, utilizing classroom teaching and eventually distance learning education.

USM has led the nationally recognized Youth Leadership Advisory Team (YLAT), a contract with the OCFS, since 1998. Each year, the YLAT project engages over 200 youth in foster care in leadership initiatives (training, policy advice, program development), teen conference, and leadership development activities.

USM has successfully delivered capacity building services and interventions to child welfare agencies in all 50 States and over 200 Tribal Nations, illustrating USM’s breadth of capacity in working to build capacity in improving permanency, safety, and well-being through data analysis, practice model development and implementation, and developing curriculum and training systems. USM brings experience in networking to develop strong and effective relationships with partner organizations at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

USM has been a member of the Children’s Bureau T/TA Network for over 30 years, housing the National Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) and the Northeast and Caribbean Implementation Center (NCIC), as a partner on the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) and the current Capacity Building Center for Tribes (CBCT), and as a frequent collaborator with other Capacity building members.

The Cutler Institute’s Data Innovation Project (DIP) increases the public sectors’ capacity to be data-informed by providing expert, accessible guidance and tools to build internal organizational capability to develop, sustain and use data to improve outcomes.

USM brings content expertise in the following topic areas:

Implementation and Change processes

Workforce Development

County, State and Tribal Child Welfare

Indian Child Welfare Act

Tribal-State Partnerships

Disproportionality in Child Welfare

Youth Engagement and Youth Development

Public Health

Domestic Violence

Diligent Recruitment

Permanency

Managing with Data/Developing Performance Metrics

We are the University of Everyone – committed to building a culturally diverse team of leaders, faculty and staff. We welcome applicants who are multi-lingual. Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Record of publications and/or presentations with local, state and regional recognition.

Other Information:

The University of Southern Maine provides a highly competitive benefits package that includes: Paid Time Off (Holidays, Vacation, & Sick), Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Short and Long Term Disability Insurance, Tuition Waiver Program for Employee & Dependents, a 403(b) Retirement Plan, and more.

Want to know more about employment, benefits and local resources? Our Employment webpage has additional information to help you become more familiar with developing a new career at USM as well as exploring everything the Greater Southern Maine area has to offer.

To apply:

Materials must be submitted via "Apply for position." You will create an applicant profile and complete an application. You will need to upload a cover letter, resume/curriculum vitae and a list of the names and contact information for three references.

All required materials must be submitted by September 27, 2019.

Appropriate background screening will be conducted for the successful candidate.

The University of Southern Maine is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Equal Opportunity Office, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).